Bound By Darkness
by MistPhoenix
Summary: Sequel to The Challenges We Face; After having been forced by Kol to flip the switch, Sirena has been consumed by the darkness of what she is. Meanwhile, back in Mystic Falls everyone is on the search for the cure for vampirism. Will Klaus find out about her role in his ability to create hybrids and will it affect his outlook on the cure? Klaus/OC(Sirena)/OC(Declan)
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is the SEQUEL to The Challenges We Face. If you have yet to read The Challenges We Face please do so or else you will be very confused. :P Sirena, Declan, Mark and any other non-Vampire Diaries or Originals characters are the only ones I own. I got the Polyvore collection for Bound By Darkness set up and the link is on my profile. Please check it out any time! As with The Challenges We Face, I will update it when necessary for chapters posted. :) I personally love visuals when I read so I hope you do too! I also try to keep my song list updated. These are just songs that I feel relate to the story wonderfully and have acted as inspiration throughout my writing. As you know, I love reviews and feedback so feel free to message/ review any time! I try to respond as much as possible! :) Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Dance music blared from speakers throughout the building, its upbeat tones sending the crowd into a dance frenzy. Neon lights of cyan, emerald and fuchsia zipped over the dancers below where they moved their bodies the best they could despite being packed on the dance floor like a bunch of sardines. One girl didn't seem to be bothered one bit by the close proximity as her body flowed to the beats. Eyes closed and with sweat glistened skin, she lost herself in the music. It was almost primal. Letting herself lose all control, she let the music take over and as her hips dipped along with the music someone took their opportunity to brush up against her from behind. Seeing as how she didn't seem to mind at all, the man took it as a sign to proceed.

Hands found their way to her hips and she felt the man behind her begin to grind up on her, joining in on her dance. Her hips met his rhythm and the two moved as one and once the song same to an end, her hand dropped down to his. Smiling back over her shoulder at him, she guided him from the building. Pushing through the large metal back door, the two stepped out into the alleyway. No one around, she spun around to face him, smiling seductively as she backed slowly from him, beckoning him toward her. Stepping up to her, he pressed her back against the wall, kissing her hard as her hands wound themselves around to his back. He let out a small groan as her teeth pulled at his bottom lip. His fingers playing with the zipper on the back of her dress, his head dipped down as he kissed his way down her neck.

Her head tilted back in pleasure and her bright blue eyes opened to find a full moon hung high in the sky above them. Fingers tangling up in his auburn hair, she pulled him back up to meet her gaze. Yanking his head back hard by the fistful of hair, she buried her fangs into his neck. His struggles were futile. He was no match for her. His blood drained from his body and there was nothing he could do about it. He was completely at her mercy… and she liked it. The sweet taste as the blood hit her tongue, the satisfaction it brought, the sound of his slowing heartbeat… the power. This man's life was in her hands. She could save him in an instant. All she had to do was — Dead. His body fell to the pavement with a thud. Running her thumb over her lips, Sirena sucked the last drop of blood down, savoring the taste as she stepped carelessly over the corpse at her feet to return to the dance floor. The night was young and the party had just begun…

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 **I know this was short, but it was just the prologue. :) Chapter one will be posted shortly. I PROMISE!**

 **Show me some love and leave some reviews, favorite/follow... you know the drill! haha.**


	2. Ghosts

**GHOSTS**

After enjoying her little snack, Sirena had returned to the dance floor to dance the night away. No guilt, no pain, no drama — She felt free. Free to do as she pleased without the consequence that came with feeling. Being away from Mystic Falls didn't hurt either. Or rather should she say being far away from Elena-drama. Now that Elena was a vampire it was the perfect time to get away from that town and the problems that came with it. Sure, her friends were back there, but honestly she just didn't have any care in her. It was her time to live her life as a vampire, the way it was intended to be lived.

Taking a break, she moseyed on over to the bar, ordering up a glass of bourbon. Leaning back against the bar, her eyes scanned the room. So many choices… Girls were the hardest to get alone. They're always suspicious of any strange girls approaching them. They have their cliques and tend to stick with them. Guys, on the other hand, they were the easiest of all. Show them any sign of sexual interest and they were yours for the taking. It was almost too easy.

"What're you doing here?" Not even looking in their direction, she had sensed the man who had just stepped up next to her.

"Just checking up on my latest project," Kol smirked. "I see you've been busy."

Sirena ignored him.

"You know, while I do believe in indulging whenever you feel it necessary, I also believe in hiding the evidence."

Her eyes flew to his. "Don't worry about it." Turning in the other direction, she went to leave him behind, but he wasn't so easily shaken.

"Do whatever you must. Have your fun, darling. Tonight we're leaving."

Spinning on her heels, her hair whipped around as she faced him, eyes full of curiosity. "Why? Where are we going?"

"Back home, of course. I didn't strip you of your humanity just for sport. There was purpose. It's time my brother and Declan see how serious I am about my revenge."

Sirena rolled her eyes. "Good to know I could be of help."

Kol smiled devilishly. Truth was, he had quite come to like her company now that she wasn't tied down by her emotions. Sirena had become darker than he had ever imagined she would. Her creativity played such a wonderfully devious role as well, making her all the more fearsome. "How about a bite before we head out?"

Her eyes found a cute couple sitting at a bar table not more than ten feet away. She had seen them earlier. At first glance they seemed to be as happy as anyone, but then she caught the boyfriend enjoying the view of other girls as they passed by while his girlfriend wasn't looking. "Them."

Kol watched her waltz off towards the couple, smiling as she compelled them to leave with her to find a more intimate room. With an evil smile, Kol followed after them. "This should be fun."

Sirena had led them to one of the back party rooms of the club for some privacy. The couple took a seat on the red leather couch, laughing nervously and eyeing Kol as he took a seat in the chair across from them. Sitting at the man's other side, Sirena's voice was demure as she introduced herself, "Sirena. That guy over there is Kol."

"Nathan," the man stared hungrily down at her lips.

"Claire," the girl squeaked. She was obviously not the dance club type and had been dragged out here by Nathan.

"Well, Nathan," Sirena got up onto her knees, leaning down to speak softly into his ear. "Does Claire know you like to come here to eyeball all the lovely ladies despite having her on your arm?"

Nathan's expression changed from complete interest in Sirena to utter confusion. "What the hell is this?"

He went to stand, but Sirena swung her leg around to straddle him, pushing him back against the couch. Claire leapt to her feet with a squeal, but Kol was in front of her in an instant, compelling her to sit still and do as Sirena said.

"Now, Nathan. Be a good boy and sit back and relax." Sirena leaned down to kiss him before saying, "Your girlfriend and I are going to have some fun." Pulling his head back, Sirena bit down into the left side of his neck just to puncture his skin. Pulling back, blood trickled down his neck, staining his baby blue shirt. Sirena's eyes fell to Claire. "Come on over here."

Doing as she was told, Claire scooted closer to Nathan and Sirena pulled her up to her knees. Her eyes were wide with fright as Sirena placed a hand on the back of her head, guiding her down to the holes in her boyfriend's neck.

"Drink," Sirena ordered, smiling as Claire began to suck down the blood. With a quick chuckle, Sirena bit down on his right side, drinking from him along with her.

Kol sat back in the armchair, amazed. This girl was amazing. He had to admit watching her force another girl to drink from her boyfriend with her was kind of hot. Sirena's head pulled back, looking up to the ceiling as she took a breath, the veins in her eyes subsiding as she wiped the remaining blood from her lips.

"You're done, Claire," she instructed. "He's dead."

The girl sat back on the couch, shaking from what she had just done.

Sirena moved to stand before Claire, helping her up and looking deep into her eyes. "You will not remember us, but you will remember what you did here today. He was a pig and deserved to die. Now go home and tell no one about what happened here."

With a quick nod, Claire hurried from the room without a second look back at Nathan's lifeless body. Rising from his seat, Kol clapped his hands. Making the girl remember drinking from her boyfriend until he was dead was a nice touch. "Nicely done, Sirena."

Sirena turned on him, not saying a word.

"I hope you will bring these games along with you for our return to Mystic Falls. It will make our time there so much more enjoyable. Now," he stepped in closer, "Let's go say hello to my big brother."

* * *

"Do you have any idea what I've been through?" Connor asked Shane, his voice dark. "I spent the last two days chained up by an original vampire."

"So you met Klaus?" Shane sounded excited, shifting as he sat back onto his desk. "I only know him by reputation. Apparently, he's a real monster."

"He's a vampire-werewolf hybrid," Connor snarled. "Do you know how hard it is to kill them?"

"From what I gather you have to remove their head or their heart," Shane replied, making a slicing gesture at his neck. That is, according to lore, I'm just speculating."

"I had to figure it out on my own," Connor stated incredulously. "I could've used some of this occult professor knowledge of yours. But then again, you always have been slow when it comes to providing answers. What about the Sterling girl?"

"You ran into her?"

"No, but Klaus seems quite taken with her." Connor began to pace around the office.

Shane laughed. "Funny how these things seem to play out."

"What's the deal with her? You said once that I may run into people after her, to kill them. Why?"

Ignoring Connor's question, Shane asked, "Is she with him now?"

"No, she was taken."

Shane's eyes grew wide. "By who?"

"I don't know. Now tell me why she's important!"

"We had a deal," Shane nodded forcefully.. "I'll give you answers about your hunter's mark when it's grown to completion. The same goes for answers about her, understand?"

"In other words, kill as many vampires as possible."

"Come on, Connor. Why do you think I sent you to Mystic Falls? There's no shortage of vampires. That town's practically infested." Connor shook his head and Shane paused before adding, "Listen, there's a witch mixed up in all this. She's important to what I have planned. I want her to be kept out of harm's way. Anybody gets in my way — anybody — they're dead."

Shane rolled his eyes. "Ok… Sure, I'll occupy her myself. Just do what you do. And the less I know about it, the better."

Connor grinned evilly, turning and heading out the door. He was ready to take out some vampires.

* * *

" _How the hell did Connor escape?_ "

"I blame mind-numbing incompetence, but pointing fingers isn't going to help me. You're going to help me," Klaus told Stefan as he made his way from the dig site to be able to hear more clearly through the phone. Behind him, compelled workers dug away even through the night, their work lit up by large working lights lining the area.

" _Well, he could be anywhere now_ ," Stefan stated.

"Think, Stefan. He took the werewolf's head, which means he wants werewolf toxin."

" _Which means he plans to stay in Mystic Falls to kill vampires_ ," Stefan concluded.

"Which is a pity," Klaus interrupted him. "As I'm half the world away digging up a dead hunter, you'll have no access to my blood and therefore, the antidote. Nevertheless, his tattoo is our only map to the cure, so your task is quite simple — find him, catch him, and above all, keep him alive. He's no good to us dead."

" _Damon's been looking everywhere for him. If they cross paths—_ "

"You need to keep Damon in check," Klaus warned.

" _It would be a lot easier if I could just tell him the truth._ "

"You trust Damon with the cure?" Klaus scoffed. "I imagine he prefers Elena the way she is."

" _Nice try, Klaus. But I trust Damon a hell of a lot more than I trust you._ "

"And I trust no one, which is why my sister is lying daggered in a box. The more who find out about the cure, the more that will go after it. Nations have gone to war over less. You mark my words — Tell one soul and I will throw the hunter's sword in the mediterranean and we can end this quest right now. Am I understood?"

Klaus was met by Stefan ending the call, making him smile. He knew Stefan would fall in line once he thought his chance at making Elena human again was threatened. Placing his phone back in his jacket pocket, he crossed his hands behind his back and began walking around the dig site. Keeping a sharp eye, he watched for any sign of Alexander's coffin.

Two more times Stefan called him about Connor. Apparently, he had Jeremy Gilbert, Matt Donovan and some girl he didn't know held hostage in the Mystic Grill. Must he handle everything… He made some calls hoping to get the problem resolved without having to take Connor out. Quite frankly, he didn't give a damn about the hostages, but unfortunately he knew Elena did. Therefore, if they died Elena or even Damon may end up killing Connor and well, Klaus couldn't have that.

"I've got it!"

Klaus turned toward the worker who had exclaimed from down below in the trenches. A smile spread across his lips. Strolling over to where the man stood over a plain wooden casket, he waited as the man slammed a crowbar into the side, prying the lid free. There he was — Alexander. His bones lay clutching to the very reason for this excavation. The hunter's sword was yanked from Alexander's casket, breaking a few bones on the way out, and handed up to Klaus. Brushing some dust off of the hilt, Klaus cocked his head to the side as he studied the familiar object. It had been centuries and yet he remembered thrusting the weapon into Alexander's chest like it was yesterday. He was sure Alexander would've cursed him with his last breath if it had not been for Klaus cutting out his tongue.

His phone rang from within his jacket. Shaking his head he cursed at the incompetence of those back in Mystic Falls. Couldn't they handle a simple hunter capture? But it wasn't Stefan, not Tyler, not Dean…. No, it was Declan.

Three simple words shone up at him in the dark, earning all of his attention. ' _She's been sighted_.'

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Mark leaned back onto the arm of the sofa in the living room of Declan's home. "Do we go get her?"

Declan leaned forward with one hand on the mantle of the fireplace, staring into the flames as he was deep in thought. His free hand pulled his phone from his pants pocket — nothing. He had messaged Klaus about Sirena, receiving a reply of 'I'll be right there', but that was nearly twelve hours ago. "She could be long gone by now."

"But if she's out there with that psycho then—"

Mark was interrupted by a knock at the door. Declan was there in a flash. "Klaus," he greeted as the hybrid stepped past him into the house.

"Let's waste no time with pleasantries, Declan. Where is she?"

"She was seen just outside of Atlanta." Declan closed the door and stepped over to the alcohol cabinet, pouring himself a drink.

"By who? How do they know who she is?"

"I have people out on the lookout for her. Some friends of mine that I have all over the Eastern side of the nation as well as some compelled law enforcement."

Klaus gave a nod of approval and helped himself to the bourbon. "And how was she?" Klaus asked, hiding his emotions in his voice.

"They didn't know. They said that she looked to be alright, but there's one thing you should know."

Klaus' face grew hard. "And what's that?"

"She wasn't alone. She was with… your brother."

"Kol," Klaus spat his name, swirling the bourbon around in his glass.

"Why on earth would she be with him though? That's what I want to know. Why wouldn't she just come home?" Mark shot.

"She could be scared to leave, compelled or—" Declan's voice trailed off, sharing a knowing glance with Klaus. "He could've made her switch off her humanity."

"What?" Mark asked, confused. "He can just do that?"

Klaus took a calming deep breath. "Of course he could. We're Originals. We can compel you lot to do pretty much anything. The only thing is, I know my brother. If that's the case and her humanity is off then he didn't do it nicely."

Declan's head hung, knowing Klaus was right. "We need to get her home, Klaus."

"You think I don't know that, Declan?!" Klaus fired, anger overcoming him. Many a time had his little brother pushed his buttons, but messing with Sirena was a new low for him. "Now, I'm going to go deal with a problem. You keep your contacts on the lookout. The second the inform you of her whereabouts, you message me and I will get to her in an instant. You understand?"

Declan stood his ground. Crossing his arms over his chest he stepped further into Klaus' personal space. "What makes you think I wouldn't rather go after her myself?"

Narrowing his eyes on him, Klaus brushed past him toward the door. Over his shoulder, he called, "Just do it, Declan."

Leaving Declan's, Klaus headed straight for Tyler Lockwood's in hopes of settling the issue with the hunter once and for all. Instead of finding the hunter he found the shelf, Hayley, and another hybrid drinking down their sorrows in the living room.

"Well, isn't this lovely?" Klaus announced his presence and he loved the way they both stiffened at the sight of him. "Where's Dean? I would love a moment with my hunter."

A thick silence filled the room as Hayley and the hybrid exchanged looks, neither one wanting to tell Klaus the bad news. It was Hayley that stepped forward. "The hunter is dead. Elena Gilbert killed him, but not before he killed our friend," she informed him, her words dripping with disdain.

Klaus' eyes pierced hers, hoping he hadn't heard her correctly. "Tell me you're joking."

Hayley merely shrugged, turning back to her bottle of vodka. Shaking his head, Klaus snatched a unopened bottle of whiskey from the end table nearby before storming out of the room. He leaves town for a couple days and everything goes to hell. Not only did he have to deal with the fact Connor was now dead and therefore the map to the cure was now gone, Klaus was also trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Sirena was out there with his sadistic brother doing God knows what. Before he knew it, he had downed half the bottle. It was then that he heard Tyler in the other room talking with his friends. Walking in just in time to see Hayley rub her finger on Tyler's bottom lip to wipe away some liquor before sucking it from her thumb.

"Well, don't let me interrupt." Klaus leaned against the door frame behind Tyler.

Tyler slowly turned to face him. "I didn't know you were here."

"Clearly," he shot at Tyler as he moved past him into the other room. Turning to face him once more, he added, "Thought I'd just pop 'round to celebrate Dean's successful retrieval of the vampire hunter. Yet when I arrived, I learned that not only was Dean unsuccessful, but that Elena had killed the hunter."

"Well, maybe if you had let Dean use force on Connor instead of sending him in on a suicide mission—" Hayley fired, but was quickly cut off.

"Maybe you should mind your business, wolf girl."

"What do you care if Connor's dead, anyway?" Tyler jumped in.

"I have my reasons." Klaus raised the bottle into the air, the brown liquid sloshing around. "They have ceased to matter." Klaus took a swig as Tyler headed off to answer a knock at the front door. Seeing the scene taking place before him as Caroline brought Tyler's stuff back over to him after what seemed to be a breakup, Klaus sat his bottle down and joined them at the front door. "Caroline," he greeted. "By the break-up drama unfolding before me, I assume you've met Hayley." Caroline simply looked uncomfortable and Klaus nodded. "All right, come on. Let's go," Klaus gestured to the hybrids. "Let's leave them alone. Your talents are needed elsewhere."

"For what?" Tyler asked.

"I think you've got more important things to deal with, mate," Klaus stated as he left behind his hybrids. Jumping into his black SUV he headed off to his next destination. Knowing of his past with The Five, he knew Stefan would be requiring his assistance. Pulling to a stop down the road from the doppelgänger's house, Klaus pulled out his phone, dialing Stefan.

" _I don't want to talk about it._ "

"Well, I can't imagine why, what with you ruining all my plans for a hybrid-filled future."

" _Well, it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't sworn me to secrecy_ ," Stefan countered.

"Life is full of ifs, Stefan. Let's extenuate the positives, shall we? The hunter was one of five. We'll find another. It may take centuries, but we've got nothing but time, right?"

" _You're using your calm voice today. Who's getting killed?_ " Stefan asked, which made Klaus smirk.

"Not you, if that's what you're worried about. But I am concerned about your beloved. Have the hallucinations started yet?"

" _What do you know about that?_ "

"I'll tell you. Where are you?"

" _I'm at her house._ "

"How convenient. So am I," Klaus smirked as he knocked on the Gilbert's door.

Stefan appeared at door almost instantly, pushing past Klaus to the porch.

"You know this would be a lot more civilized if I was just invited inside," Klaus pointed back at the door, joining Stefan on the sidewalk in front of the stairs.

"It's bad enough I'm out here talking to you. What do you know?"

"I killed the original five hunters, remember?" This caught Stefan's attention. "When one kills a hunter there's a bit of a consequence."

"What kind of consequence?"

"Hunters were spelled by witches to kill vampires. If you prevent one from fulfilling his destiny then he'll take you down with him."

"What do you mean? Connor's dead," Stefan said, confused.

"I mean, Connor's death won't prevent him from making Elena his final vampire kill." Stefan's jaw clenched, but he remained silent. "She'll need to come with me now. I'll lock her up; keep her away from any sharp, wooden objects."

Stefan shook his head. "She's not going anywhere with you."

"But if we leave her alone, she'll take her own life before the day is out."

"She's stronger than that," Stefan argued.

"Is she? Believe me, it's for her own good."

"No," Stefan stood his ground.

"Take this as me offering nicely. I have no intention of letting her die because of your stubbornness. And believe me, I have more important things I could be doing. Declan's men have seen Sirena. I could be out searching for her and yet here I am, tending to your doppelgänger once again."

The front door of the house burst open as Elena ran outside in a panic. Flashing over to her, Klaus rushed her out of there before either of the Salvatore's could do anything to stop him.

* * *

After locking Elena up in the windowless bedroom that had been intended for Finn, Klaus had left her under the watchful eye of his hybrids so that he could venture over to the Grill for some much needed drinks. He threw them back one by one. It had been a long day. Checking his phone, he was disappointed to see that he still had yet to receive anything from Declan. Maybe if Declan had compelled some more competent lookouts, they wouldn't have lost track of her. He needed to get her back. No matter how many hybrids he was surrounded by he still felt the painful pang of loneliness, but somehow it melted away whenever he was with her. He found it truly amazing that one girl could make such a difference. While he would never tell Stefan, he really didn't want the cure to revert Elena back to her human state. He wanted to find it to destroy it. The fact that there were those who would use it against him to see him destroyed wasn't lost on him. Lately, making more hybrids wasn't one of his priorities.

Even though he was deep in his thoughts, he was jerked from them as a familiar scent caught his attention. Whipping around, he searched the area for the source. Just seeing a mass of dining Mystic Falls residents, he jumped down from his seat, following the scent until it led him outside into the alleyway. The moon shone brightly overhead, but the walls of the neighboring building blocked it, creating shadows all around. Deciding it was nothing, Klaus gave a frustrated sigh and blamed it on the booze. Just as he turned back toward the door, something slammed into him hard, knocking him back toward the brick wall. He reacted instantly, grabbing onto his attacker and spinning them around to press them back against the wall. Ready to rip someone apart, Klaus' eyes grew wide in surprise as they stared back into the bright blues he had often got lost in. Sirena smiled mischievously back at him. "Miss me?"

* * *

 **Reviews please! :)**

 **How do you think Klaus will take non-humanity Sirena?**


	3. Welcome Home

**Welcome Home**

"Miss me?" Sirena smirked up at Klaus from where he had her pinned back against the brick wall of the alley behind the Mystic Grill.

"Sirena?" Klaus was taken completely off guard. Worry crossed his features as he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Never better." She loved seeing all the different emotions playing on his face as he tried to come to grips with the fact she now stood before him.

Tucking a strand of her soft locks behind her ear, he took in the very sight of her. She didn't look much different, but he could tell she was far from the same person who had kissed him that day in the high school. Stepping back from her, he asked, "What happened? Where is my brother?"

"He's around," she replied. "I just wanted to swing by the Grill to see if any of my delightful friends were here and when I saw you sitting there at the bar all alone I just had to say hello."

"I'm glad you did, love."

"From what I hear, you all have been pretty busy since I've been gone. Too busy to come after me?"

Klaus' shoulders fell and he cocked his head to the side. "We've been looking for you, Sirena. Declan and I have had people on watch for—"

"But you didn't find me in time, Klaus," she shot. Her face grew hard, but Klaus could've sworn he saw a glint of sadness in those blue orbs. Her harsh tone was completely out of character for her, making him fear the worst.

"Sirena, come back to my place. We can talk."

Sirena crossed her arms over her chest.

"Surely you don't want to continue staying at the Salvatore's. What, with Elena being a vampire now and all."

This was true. She didn't want to be anywhere near Elena right now. "You're sure you want me staying there, Klaus?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

Klaus gave her a warm smile. He had missed the way his name sounded coming from those lips. "I would love to have you there, my dear."

"Your brother may turn up."

"I'm counting on it." He gave her a mischievous smile. His phone vibrated from a text from Stefan. He had gone to break Elena free and as a result she had escaped. Muttering under his breath, he cursed the Salvatore's. Here he was trying to keep Elena from killing herself and they come along and make it all the more easier for her. To Sirena, he sighed, "I'm sorry, love, but I must go."

"It's no trouble. I'm feeling the need for a drink anyway." Walking past him, she felt his hand grab hold of her wrist. Her eyes fell down to where he held her.

"I'll see you back at home?" he asked. He hated the fact that he had just found her and yet he had to run off. It terrified him that he would leave and she may yet again be gone.

Sirena nodded slightly, biting her lip as she met his gaze. "I'll be there."

Before heading over to Klaus', Sirena wanted to find a nice fresh source of food, which she found in a girl close to her own age who had been at the Grill studying late. She had been alone, quiet, focused and did she taste ever so delicious. One thing about Mystic Falls, you had to be careful about who you had for dinner. Sometimes it was hard to tell who has been ingesting vervain around here.

Her heels clicked on the marble flooring as Sirena stepped into the foyer of Klaus' home. Nothing had really changed since she had last been here. It was still absolutely extravagant and beautiful, which with him she wouldn't expect anything else. Running her fingers along the stairway railing, she thought back to the night of the Mikaelson Ball, their first official date.

"You came."

Sirena turned slowly to find Klaus standing at the top of the staircase, staring down at her almost as if he hadn't believed she would stay true to her word. "I did," she said, raising her hands and letting them fall back to her sides.

Klaus was elated to have her here. He wanted nothing more than to pull her to him and spend the night enjoying each other's company in the warmth of his bed. "Would you like to talk?"

Sirena bit her lip. "Actually, I'd rather turn in for the night. It's been an exhausting few weeks." Her last words were dripping with bitterness.

Klaus' face fell, disappointed. He wanted to know what his brother had done to her. He needed to know and she needed to talk about it. Deciding not to push the matter, he merely said, "As you wish."

"Is my room this way?" She pointed down the hall and he knew she meant to stay on her own.

"Take your pick. You're welcome to any room in the house." He followed her as she started down the hall.

"Where is Rebekah?"

"Ah… Rebekah is a bit preoccupied at the moment," he lied. He couldn't tell her he had daggered her. That would only lead to questions — questions that would lead down the road of the cure.

Stopping in front of one of the bedrooms down from Klaus', Sirena pushed open the door. "What about this one?"

"That one was Kol's. You're welcome to it if you wish, of course." Watching for her reaction, Klaus wasn't surprised to see no emotion cross her face. Instead she just pulled the door shut and moved on.

"I'll just sleep here then," Sirena said, reaching for the knob of the door neighboring Klaus'. "Whose was this?"

"Elijah's. I'm sure he won't mind," Klaus stated. Sirena stepped inside and Klaus stopped at the door, his hand on the knob. "Is there anything you need?"

Sirena shook her head. "No. I'm fine. Thanks."

Klaus nodded and went to close the door. Stopping, he poked his head back in saying, "Oh and the Miss Mystic Falls party is tomorrow at the Lockwood Manor."

Sirena sat onto the edge of the bed, undoing the straps of her heels. "Alright."

"Goodnight, Sirena."

"Goodnight."

"Hi, everyone. I'm Caroline Forbes. As the reigning Miss Mystic Falls, it is my honor to introduce this year's Miss Mystic court!" Caroline's voice boomed over the speaker's as the audience cheered and clapped. It was a beautiful day for the event and the Lockwood Manor lawn was decorated with tables full of people dressed to impress. "We will begin the procession with Valerie Fell."

Klaus watched the audience clap politely as a young blonde in a navy blue dress descended the staircase to meet her escort to be led to the dance floor. As his eyes glided over the crowd his eyes caught sight of Sirena just as she arrived to the party. It was the first he had seen her since last night and the way she looked today made his breath catch in his chest. She was wearing the black lace dress that he had bought for her back in Chicago. Her long soft curls cascading down around one side of her neck laying next to the plunging neckline. As the dancers took their places and the music began to play, Sirena's smoky eyes met his.

Smoothly making his way to her, Klaus joined her at her side. "Did you ever have anything like this back home?"

"No, thank goodness. I was never 'that girl'."

"So what kind of girl were you then?"

"I was the dorky artsy girl in the back. Now look at me," Sirena scoffed, shaking her head.

"I am," he gave her a suave grin, making her roll her eyes with a smile. "You're beautiful now, I'm know you were beautiful then."

Sirena let out a humored sigh. "Yeah, sure. None of it matters anyway. I'm not that girl anymore." Across the way, Sirena saw Damon for the first time since Kol had taken her. She found herself not even caring about the fact he was making eyes with Elena, clearly flirting.

Klaus placed a hand at her lower back. "Come. Let's fetch a drink and find ourselves a quieter place to chat. What do you say?"

Sirena nodded, linking her arm in his. Confiscating a bottle of wine, the two made their way to a small gazebo on the other side of the Manor, away from the hustle and bustle of the party. Popping the cork, Klaus poured Sirena a generous glass before handing it over to her. Watching her as she leaned forward against the railing of the gazebo, he said, "I see you've finally found an occasion to wear the dress I got you. You look delectable if I do say so myself."

"You're quite the charmer, Klaus." She smirked over at him, taking a sip of her wine.

Klaus thought for a moment, watching her in silence. "Sirena…"

"Hmm?" She stared out at the pond, knowing what he was going to say.

"We need to talk about what happened with Kol." He poured himself a glass and sat the bottle down, joining her.

"Why? He took me and now I'm back. End of story."

"Now, you know I am not so easily fooled. What did he do, love?"

Her eyes flashed over to his, anger building inside her. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it." She took a long drink of her wine. Wanting to change the subject, she fired, "How about you tell me what you're doing with Stefan?" His stunned silence told her that she was right. She had merely guessed because of how he had run off because of a single text. "Mhm. Thought so."

"Don't you worry yourself over my business with Stefan," he growled. Catching himself, he took a deep breath. His voice soft, he said, "How about we just enjoy today, shall we? It's your first day back. Let's live a little before we return to the drama." He held his glass into the air.

Giving him a small smile, she clinked her glass to his. If only he knew how much she had been 'living' lately.

Turning her toward him, he stepped in closer, breathing in the smell of her perfume. "And to answer your question from last night — Yes, I have missed you. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about those stunning blue eyes. I've missed you more than you know."

As he began to lean in to capture her lips in a kiss, she spun around toward the Manor. "I'm sorry, I uh— need a minute." Hurrying off into the house, she left Klaus by his lonesome. Finding an empty room upstairs, Sirena paced around throwing back the rest of her wine before hurling the glass against the wall. Glass shattered to the floor and the door opened. She was surprised to see the boy that poked his head in was none other than Jeremy.

"Hey, is everything alright in— Sirena?" He was shocked to find her in the room.

"Oh, hey, Jeremy," she waved him off.

His expression grew dark. "What're you doing in here?"

Forcing a smile, she said, "Just needed a moment alone."

"Alone?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to head back to the party now." She turned to go, but as she was reaching for the door, she caught a glimpse of Jeremy in the floor mirror just as he was about to thrust a stake into her heart. Rounding on him, she growled and grabbed onto his arms, tossing him aside to crash into the side table. He scrambled to his feet and she leapt onto him, knocking him back to the floor. The stake he had nearly stabbed into her laid nearly a foot away. Taking it into her hand she raised it into the air. Just as her hand began to drop, someone flashed in from behind them, pulling her from Jeremy and slamming her back into the wall, They held her back with their arm across her chest.

Damon's eyes flashed with surprise as he stared back at Sirena, her eyes dark and veiny as she struggled against him. Elena was standing over her brother, helping him to his feet. "Sirena?"

Her eyes returning to normal, she gave him an evil smile. "Hello, Damon."

"Jeremy, let's get out of here," Elena commanded her brother, pulling him from the room.

"What the hell happened to you?" Damon continued to hold her against the wall for fear of the fact she may run after Jeremy to finish what she was about to do.

"It's her humanity. Kol forced her to turn it off," Klaus announced his presence as he leaned against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. His face was sullen as he stared over at Sirena. "Whatever my brother did to her while she was with him, it must've been bad enough for her to resort to turning it off completely."

Damon searched her face, hoping it wasn't true, but of course he had seen it before. "But—"

"I noticed there was something off about her when we ran into each other back at the Grill. I'd keep an eye on your girl if I were you."

Damon looked over at him confused.

Klaus smirked. "I imagine Sirena may have the urge to rip Elena's heart from her chest."

"Can we please stop talking like I'm not here?!" Sirena spat. Shoving Damon's arm from her chest. "What's the big deal?! So I'm not the weak confused little newbie vamp anymore… so what?! Aren't the two of you the ones who told me to enjoy life as a vampire?"

"Yes, love, but this is different," Klaus replied, his tone soft.

"Sirena, this is exactly what happened with Stefan. Please tell me you haven't killed anyone," Damon said with pleading eyes.

Klaus watched as Sirena remained silent. "Of course she has. I highly doubt turning off her humanity made her a pacifist." His eyes falling to Sirena, he asked, "How many? Come on now. Don't be shy."

Sirena's eyes darkened. "Eighteen."

Damon's heart sank. Not Sirena. She had been one of the good ones, one to give new vampires hopes for being able to control their hunger, to keep from hurting people. "Eighteen people, Sirena? This isn't you," Damon said, grabbing onto her shoulders. It killed him to see her like this.

"It means nothing to me, Damon. I don't care. I'm a vampire. It's what we do."

"You know that isn't true." Damon shook his head. "You know the other way is better. Not having to hurt people, to kill people — It's a _better_ way. The Sirena we all know never liked to even feed from people, let alone kill anyone!"

"There's nothing you can say, Damon," she shot him down.

Tired of watching this unproductive scene unfold, Klaus stepped over to them, pulling gently on Sirena's arm to guide her from the room. "Let's just get you home. I think the party is over for us."

Sitting back in an armchair in front of the blazing fireplace, Klaus swirled some bourbon around in a glass, lost in thought. He was still in his suit from the party; however, he had removed his tie and unbuttoned the first couple buttons of his shirt to relax a bit. But relaxation didn't come. His concern for Sirena had him on edge. It was clear that she had switched off her humanity, but why she did was not so evident? He would make his brother pay and it wouldn't just be by daggering him and leaving him in a box for a century. Closing his eyes, he let his head fall back onto the cushion of the chair. Now was not the time for having to worry about getting her humanity back, but he knew it was absolutely necessary. Normally, he would quite enjoy seeing a vampire living in its true nature, but not Sirena. She was different.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Klaus' eyes shot open. Lifting his head, he found Sirena standing before him, still in her party dress. The light from the fire backlit her figure, making it hard to see the expression on her face.

"It's nothing," he lied. "Just taking a breather."

Stalking toward him, she said, "Now that isn't true, is it? If I had to guess, I would say that you were thinking about me."

Klaus smirked. "Not much of a shot in the dark, now is it?"

"You know, we haven't had a chance to talk about what happened back at the high school," she stated, her voice alluring.

Klaus rubbed a hand over his face, getting to his feet. "Now isn't the time, love. How about we talk about it once—"

He went to move past her, but she zoomed in front of him, tapping her fingers rhythmically on his chest, she smiled seductively. "I think now is a perfect time." Wrapping her arm up around him, she stepped in closer. Her lips brushed against his as she said, "You know you want to."

Klaus stared deep into her eyes. He did want to. There were no words to describe how much he wanted her right now. Lips slamming down onto hers, he savored the taste of her lips as he lifted her to wrap her legs around him. He flashed them over against the wall, slamming back into it without breaking from their passionate kiss. The skirt of her dress slid up as his hand traveled up her smooth thigh to cup her ass, holding her against him. Flashing to the top of the stairs, slammed up against the walls of the hallway, making their way toward the bedrooms. Her hands pulled at the bottom of his shirt and he broke their kiss only to let her lift it over his head. His right held the back of her head, pulling her back to him. He had wanted her for so long, he was going to enjoy this while it lasted. Sirena broke their kiss to yank his head back by his hair, kissing from his lips downward. He groaned as he felt the tips of her fangs tracing down the sensitive part of his neck. Flashing down the hall once more, Klaus kicked a door open and threw Sirena inside.

Landing with a bounce on one of the beds she didn't recognize, Sirena brushed her hair back from her face. "What the hell?!" she growled.

Klaus smirked over at her from where he leaned against the door frame. "Enjoy that, love?"

"What're you doing?" she demanded and she stood up from the bed, straightening out her dress.

"Oh, you see. You'll be staying in here for awhile. Guards will be outside your room so don't bother trying to escape."

His words sinking in, her blood began to boil when she noticed there were no windows to exit through either.

In an instant, Klaus slammed the door behind himself, locking her in Finn's old room. Smirking to himself as she screamed at him to let her out from behind the locked door, Klaus strolled down the hall. Snatching up his shirt from where she had thrown it down onto the floor he threw it on so that he could head out. He would have two hybrids guarding her door at all times so it freed him up to take care of some business.

Sure, he wanted her… but not like this. He wanted the real Sirena. It was the good inside of her that he had come to love, her ability to see the good in him even. He cared deeply for that girl and he intended to bring her back. He would do whatever he had to in order to make that happen and he wouldn't stop until he did.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **You wouldn't believe how hard it is to keep Sirena from showing emotion like she normally does. Whew!**


	4. The Bite

**A/N: Another board on the Polyvore collection! :D**

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 **THE BITE**

The Mystic Grill was quiet today. Just a few tables occupied with those stopping by for a quick bite to eat before heading off to continue their busy day. There were two customers, however, that weren't in a rush to leave. Throwing back his second glass of whiskey, Klaus listened as Declan sorted everything out that he had just learned of Sirena's return.

"So she won't talk about it at all?"

"Not a word." Klaus tapped his index finger on the rim of his glass, signaling for a refill.

"There must be some reason she doesn't want to tell anyone. I mean, she's been tortured before so that wouldn't be anything we hadn't heard before."

Klaus scowled at the mention of her previous run ins with folks like his brother. Then again, no one was quite as devious and demented as Kol.

"Gentlemen."

Both Klaus and Declan turned to face Kol, who sat smiling mischievously from where he leaned sideways onto the bar. "If you wanted to know all you had to do was ask."

"Kol," Klaus greeted through clenched teeth. It took all he had not to rip his brother limb from limb right there on the spot.

Sliding onto the bar stool, Kol rapped his knuckles on the bar gleefully. "Oh, how nice it is to find you both here. Saves me from having to track you both down."

"Enough, Kol. What did you do to her?" Klaus' patience was running dangerously low.

"Now, now. Don't rush. I want to savor this moment. Consider it payback for me being daggered and stuffed into a box for years upon years upon years," Kol droned on, bobbing his head lower and lower. His eyes lifted to glance up at them evilly as he said, "After all this time of being away from home I thought it was time Sirena was reunited with her parents."

Klaus' heart sank.

"Dammit, Kol! You didn't!" Declan growled over at him, careful not to let others hear their conversation.

"Oh, but I did," Kol replied, sitting back with a proud smile plastered on his face. "Getting her to switch her humanity off really wasn't that hard at all. All it took was draining her of her blood and letting her sit a few days before tossing her parents in for some quality time with their daughter."

Klaus closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. He knew how much her parents had meant to her. They were the only close family she had left. He had hoped that over time he would be able to get her to go back and see them again, actually in person and not from his SUV.

"You know she really was a sweet girl. She even resisted the urge for a moment. But well, we all know how it ended."

"She did nothing to you! It's us that you should be taking your anger out on!" Declan pounded his fist on the table.

Kol chuckled. "It seems to me, mate, that I am doing just that. What's better than taking the girl that you're in love with and turning her into the very thing she hates. You are both in love with her, are you not?" Kol teased although he already knew the answer.

Even though Klaus had always suspected that Declan shared his feelings for Sirena, he couldn't focus on that now. Rounding on his brother, he growled, "Enough of this!"

"The thing, gentlemen, about the purest of hearts is that when they fall into the darkness… they drown in it." Kol smirked. "I've seen Sirena do things that you would be able to imagine her doing." He brought his hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. "Just the other day she forced a girl to feed off of her own boyfriend with her. It's a memory I will cherish forever. You should've —" Kol's words were cut short as Klaus grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. Declan rose to his feet, gesturing to onlookers that everything was under control.

"You listen to me," Klaus demanded, his voice low. "You leave her be and I suggest you leave town. Because I swear Kol, next time I see you, you will be wishing you were lying in your coffin with just a dagger in your heart."

One of Sirena's hybrids guards had provided her with a change of clothes — a dark blue pair of ankle skinny jeans, a maroon pleated spaghetti strap tank, a pair of brown strappy heels and her leather jacket. Getting out of her party dress from the night before had her feeling slightly refreshed. However, being cooped up in here had her going a bit stir crazy. Running a hand through her hair she began pacing the room nervously, stopping when she heard the door click open.

Declan stepped in, staring over at her with concern in his eyes. "Hello, Sirena."

"Declan." Sliding her hands into her back pockets, she asked, "You here to break me out?"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you." He shook his head. "I'm here to talk."

Sirena heaved a frustrated sigh, resuming her pacing. "Look, I'm sure Klaus told you I didn't want to talk to him about it. The same goes for you."

"We know, Sirena. We know what Kol made you do."

Hearing his words made her freeze in place. Spinning on him, she threw her hands up into the air. "Yeah, so what? There's nothing that can be done now."

"On the contrary, my dear," he said, stepping closer to place his hands on her shoulders. "We can get you back to your old self."

"Pfft." Sirena shook his hands from her shoulders. "You guys don't get it, do you? I don't want to go back to how I was. I like the new me! Why is that so hard to understand?!"  
"Because we know the real you and this isn't it. This is Kol's work and you know it. Kol told us what you did to that poor couple. Making a human girl drink from her boyfriend, Sirena? That isn't you!"

A smile spread on her face. "Isn't it? I'm a monster, Declan. You turned me into this blood driven monster. Kol just opened my eyes to the darkness within myself and the thing is… I like it. Why would I want to give up the power only to bring back the pain and loss, to go back to being the weak, insecure, naive girl I was before this?"

" You were anything but those things, Sirena, and you know there is more than pain and loss," Declan shook his head. "Let me show you, remind you of what life as a vampire can truly offer. Adventure, beauty, … love."

"Love?" Sirena scoffed. "You don't love me, Declan. We both know why you turned me."

Declan's jaw clenched, not wanting to push her any further, knowing full well that Klaus listened from the other side of the door. After having tricked her into getting trapped in the room in the first place, he had thought it best to let Declan have a moment alone with her. Approaching her once more, Declan wrapped her hands in his. "I was once like this, remember? I changed. I was able to get my self back from the darkness. You can, too. You just need to allow yourself to come back. It's all in your head. You need to deal with what he made you do — killing your parents. Once you overcome that, then you can overcome this darkness, get your humanity back."

Sirena yanked her hands from his, shoving him backward toward the door yelling, "Get out! Get out, Declan!"

With a defeated sigh, Declan turned from her to leave her alone once again. His eyes lifted to meet Klaus' gaze. "Alright, let's try it your way."

It had been a couple hours since her confrontation with Declan. Bored out of her mind she laid back on the bed, trying to push his words from her mind. _You need to deal with what he made you do — killing your parents_. She didn't have to try hard to get her mind off of it, because from just outside her door there was the sound of a struggle. Jumping up from the bed, Sirena crept towards the door. Slowly, she reached her hand out for the hand, but before her fingers could wrap around the cool metal it turned on its own. The door flew open and someone jabbed a syringe of vervain into her chest. Grunting in pain, her eyes went wild as she grabbed onto the girl's arm, flinging her back around in attempt to clear a path for a quick exit. Flashing to the hallway, she stopped abruptly, coming face to face with a dark-haired male holding a set of chains in his hands. Recovering, the girl zoomed up behind Sirena, snapping her neck.

Hauling Sirena to a secluded barn they had been using with the rest of their pack, they chained Sirena up next to the blonde vampire they had captured not long before.

"And you're sure this will send a message?" the dark-haired hybrid asked.

"Oh, it'll send a message," the brunette girl smiled, yanking hard on the chains.

Caroline screamed out in pain as the chains cut into her wrist. Following the links over to the other end she saw who she shared them with. "Sirena?" she breathed. This was the third time the two had been captured together. _We really need to find other ways to hang out,_ she thought to herself. Looking up to their captor, Caroline recognized the girl as one of the hybrids Tyler was trying to help break the sire bond. "Why are you doing this?"

"To show Tyler who's in charge," the girl responded, twisting Caroline's wrist against the chains, making her scream.

The barn door opened and Tyler ran inside followed by Elena. "Stop it. Stop it, Kim!" Stopping a few feet from where Kim was torturing Caroline, he said, "Caroline is one of us, alright? We're all on the same team."

"She's on your team, not mine," the girl barked out.

"Tyler," Elena gasped, noticing who leaned back against the bars at Caroline's side. "It's Sirena."

His eyes went wide. "Why do you have her?"

"She's with Klaus," Kim smirked.

The barn doors creaked and a group of hybrids clambered into the barn, trapping Elena and Tyler to keep them from leaving.

Tyler turned back to Kim who looked past him to the hybrids. "Grab them."

Strong hands slammed down onto Tyler and Elena's arms, restraining them while Kim continued inflicting pain on Caroline. Beginning to stir, Sirena rolled her head to one side as Caroline screamed.

"Stop it! Stop!" Tyler yelled out.

"Fine," Kim replied bluntly, moving to kneel before Sirena. Reaching for a stake, she thrust it into Sirena's side. Eyes flying open from the pain, Sirena let out a scream. Looking around the barn frantically, she tried to figure out where on earth she was and who the hell these people were. "Hmm. I think I missed," Kim mused, pulling the stake free and jabbing it into Sirena's other side.

"Ease up, Kim," the dark-haired hybrid warned. "Klaus won't like this."

"Huh, that's a very good point." Jerking the stake back out, she added, "Do you think he'd like this?" She aimed it directly at Sirena's heart.

Sirena growled back at the girl as Tyler pleaded Kim to spare her, but it was Elena who caught Kim's attention.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… if you really want to hit Klaus where it hurts then torture me instead," Elena offered. "He's fixated on keeping me alive."

"But he loves this one," Kim pointed out, keeping the stake where it was.

"Klaus doesn't know how to love," Elena blurted. "Besides, kill her and he would just find another girl, but kill me and that ends his ability to make more hybrids. You want real revenge or not?"

Kim looked between Sirena and Elena. Standing, she stalked over to the doppelganger. Her anger fueling her strength, Sirena snapped her chains and dashed through an exit at the back of the barn.

"You! After her," she commanded the hybrid nearest to her. Returning her attention to Elena, her hand flew up to her throat. As she raised the stake Tyler got free, knocking the stake from her hand. Swirling her around he jammed his hand into her chest. Looking to the other hybrids as they hunched down ready to pounce, he yelled, "Stay back! I'll rip her heart out right now." Still talking to the group, Tyler looked into Kim's frightened eyes. "Kim put you all at risk today, and I'm not gonna hurt her. I'm not Klaus. I don't kill and torture my own friends to get what I want. But if you want to be free, we have to work together. No one can step out of line. Now, you're either with me, or you're against me. Submit." Leaning down into Kim's face, he commanded, "Submit or you die." Kim dropped to her knees and he went down with her.

"I'm — I'm sorry," she choked out. Tyler pulled his hand free from her chest and she hunched over clutching at the hole as it healed.

Tyler got to his feet, his eyes landing on each member of the pack as they knelt in submission. He was now their alpha.

Back pressed against the trunk of a tree, Sirena waited as the footsteps of her pursuer drew closer. She had to be sneaky if she was to take out the hybrid Kim had sent after her. Hybrid strength was more than what she had as a vampire.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," he called, sniffing the air to follow the scent of her perfume.

Her breathing steady, she waited for her chance to attack. Twigs cracked under the soles of his boots as he walked past the tree she was hiding behind. Seeing him passing her by she flashed over to him, jumping onto his backs and wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. If she could get the right angle she would have an opening to be able to reach in and remove his heart.

Trying to shake her free, the hybrid slammed backwards into trees surrounding them, but she wasn't phased. He yelled out in agony as her fist slammed into his back. In a last attempt to take her down, the hybrid bit down onto her forearm. Yelping out in surprise, Sirena wrenched her hand from his body, clutching as his still beating heart. The hybrid fell dead to the ground with her landing on top of him. She dropped his heart next to his body and looked at her arm with disgust. Blood glistened in the moonlight from the werewolf bite. Shaking her head, she rushed home hoping Klaus would be there and be able to heal her.

Bursting through the doors to the foyer she was met by a rather angry looking Klaus. "How did you get out?!" he demanded.

"I didn't. Someone took me," she corrected. "Klaus, I need your blood. One of your hybrids, they bit—" She stopped once she saw her arm. There was nothing there — no bite, no pulsing toxin-filled veins… nothing. Her jaw dropped. What the hell?

"You were saying, love," he asked waiting for her to finish.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I guess I imagined it. Now, how about I just stay here like a normal person and not as a prisoner?" she spat.

"I'll take it under consideration." He snatched her up in his arms and flashed her up to Finn's room yet again, setting her down on the bed.

"Dammit, Klaus," she swatted at his chest. "You don't own me! If I want to leave, I can."

"It's for your own good, Sirena," he stated, disappearing into the bathroom.

She eyeballed the door, wondering if she had time to escape. He had water running in the sink so maybe this was the perfect time. The floor creaked as she got to her feet.

"Don't even think about it," he called from the bathroom. "The two hybrids that were knocked out are back and in tip top shape so there's no escaping."

Sirena rolled her eyes and plopped back down onto the bed.

Klaus returned with a small bowl of warm water and a wash cloth. Soaking the cloth in the water, he wrung it out and began cleaning up the blood staining her wrists from the chains. Moving up her forearm, he saw an interesting pattern of blood stains. "You were saying downstairs that one of my hybrids bit you." His eyes met hers, judging her reaction, but she showed none. "Care to explain why there is no longer a bite here? I know for a fact that you didn't receive the cure. I think I would've noticed it you were drinking from me." He smirked up at her.

"I don't know where it went, but yes, he did bite me."

Klaus' brow furrowed. A werewolf bite healing without the aid of his blood — this was new to him. This was something that not only concerned him, but also added to the list of things about Sirena that intrigued him. He wanted answers.

* * *

 **Reviews, please! 333 them!**


	5. Winter Wonderland

**WINTER WONDERLAND**

It felt good to have a paintbrush in hand once more. The feel of the bristles gliding across the canvas calmed Klaus' nerves and helped sort out his thoughts. The ordeal with Sirena and the vanishing hybrid bite had him mystified. At first he tried telling himself that she was wrong, that she wasn't really bit. After all, he had seen her bit before, but that's where he stopped himself. Maybe her first bite would've healed as well. He had given her blood right away so there wasn't time to see what would've happened. It seemed that the more he got to know this girl the more mysterious she became. She was a puzzle waiting to be unlocked and it made him even more intrigued by her.

"Looks like a giant snowflake," Stefan observed, entering Klaus' study.

"I like to think of it as an expression of post-modernism," Klaus replied, stepping back to admire his work. What Stefan didn't know was that Sirena was his inspiration for this piece. The blue snowflake form represented all that he loved about her — her beauty, uniqueness, humanity. It was trapped, surrounded by darkness and waiting to be set free. "It's my donation to the Winter Wonderland charity event."

The two looked to the same dark-haired hybrid who had captured Sirena just the night before as he stepped down into the room. "You said it was urgent," he said, waiting for Klaus' orders.

"Yes. Take this to the Mystic Grill immediately." Klaus gestured to his painting.

"You want me to be a delivery guy?" the hybrid asked, annoyed.

"What I want is for you to do whatever I say," Klaus closed the space between them. "Without the attitude."

The hybrid forced a smile before lifting the painting from the easel.

"Be careful with that. It's still wet," Klaus ordered.

The hybrid left and Stefan raised an eyebrow at Klaus. "Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, ya know."

"What is the point of my hybrids being sired to me if I can't maximize on the benefits of free labor?" Narrowing his eyes on Stefan, Klaus asked, "What are you doing here?"

Stepping down into the room, Stefan sighed. "Elena is sired to Damon."

"I intuited as much," Klaus smirked.

"Which means I need to find the cure now more than ever and here you are making post-modern snowflakes," Stefan shook his head, clearly aggravated by the situation.

"I've delivered," Klaus stated, flashing Stefan a wide grin. Turning back to his workspace, he began wiping excess paint from his hands. "I've retrieved the hunter's sword from Italy, which we'll use to decipher the map hidden in the hunter's mark. You're the one who's supposed to deliver the hunter and his mark."

"Well, Jeremy is the hunter and he has to keep killing vampires to complete his mark, but we can't quite figure out how to keep him from killing us."

"Sounds like quite the chore, which is why I feel perfectly justified doing a little charity work."

"Or maybe you're lying about having found the sword," Stefan accused.

"Why would I lie to you, Stefan?" Klaus marched toward the living room to where he kept his safe. "We're in this together." Twisting the knob to unlock the door, he yanked it open and retrieved the sword in question. "The hilt acts as a cypher which we'll use to decode the marks on Jeremy's tattoo when he's killed enough vampires to complete it." Setting the sword onto the table in front of Stefan, Klaus plopped back onto his couch, kicking his feet up as he smiled up at Stefan.

Stefan ran his hands over the sword, examining the markings carefully almost as if he was trying to memorize the patterns.

Lowering his voice, Klaus said, "I heard you moved out of your house." Stefan's head rose slightly, his eyes meeting Klaus'. "Bit of a martyr move, hmm?"

"I'm not here to bond, Klaus," Stefan stated, setting the sword back down on the table.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think right now I'm the best friend you've got. You and Damon are on the outs due to Elena — don't say I didn't warn you, Elena dumped you, Sirena is not herself lately… so then there's me." He smirked over at Stefan. Leaning forward onto his knees, he added, "So, _friend_ … Any idea why Sirena would be immune to werewolf venom? If you do, please enlighten me."

Stefan looked confused. "Immune? What are you talking about?"

"Apparently she had a little run in with one of my hybrids last night during which time he bit her. She came home and low and behold the bite was gone without any need for my blood."

Shaking his head, Stefan shifted in place. "I have no idea. Did you ask Declan?"

"Not yet, but I intend to. For now, I must get ready for this event so if you please," Klaus rose and gestured toward the exit, which Stefan took.

Climbing the stairs, Klaus hurried down the hallway, stopping between the two hybrids standing guard. Rapping his fingers on the door, he called, "Sirena, if you promise to behave you can accompany me to this charity event." He waited a moment, but heard no response. "Sirena?"

Beginning to grow impatient, Klaus stepped inside. His gaze softened as he crossed the room to where she lied asleep in bed, her black curls laid idly across her face. Cocking his head to one side, he studied her. She was so beautiful and looked so peaceful, but he knew her dreams were filled with nothing but pain and darkness. He reached a hand out and gently pushed some of her hair back from her face. As he went to move the last strand, her hand flew up to grab onto his wrist. Her eyes now wide open, they landed on his and she lifted to prop herself up on her elbow. The hair he had just pushed back fell down onto her milky white skin that had been revealed as the sheet slid further down her body. She lied there in a black lace bra and Klaus fought against the temptation to let his eyes wander.

"If you want to join me, Klaus, you don't have to ask," she smirked. Patting the bed, she went on, "Want to?"

Despite what he wanted, Klaus replied, "Not now, love. Places to be, money to raise. I just wanted to know if you'd like to accompany me."

Throwing back the covers, Sirena jumped from the bed, smirking as Klaus averted his eyes from her as she strode over to the closet in nothing but her underwear. "Ever the gentleman, aren't we?" she teased.

"Turn your humanity back on and I'll show you how wild I can really be," Klaus said with a wolfish grin.

"Why wait? I'm more fun this way," she stated from inside the closet as she searched for something to wear.

"Agree to disagree." Heading back for the door, he called, "I'm going to get ready. Meet me downstairs in half an hour."

* * *

Fake snow fell almost as if it were real outside of the Grill where kids played as their parents talked around the various tables about how big of a donation they had been willing to put down as if it were a contest. Numerous items had been donated to the cause. There was free yoga lessons, sports tickets, a fabulous china set…. but none of them compared to what was sitting right before Sirena. Her blue eyes drifted over it as she took in every detail of Klaus' brushstrokes. Her outlook on art had changed since she had switched off her humanity. Art was meant to evoke feelings and Sirena had none. Chewing on her lip as she tried to decipher the meaning instead, but all she was coming up with was a snowflake. However, knowing Klaus there was much more to it than that.

"Here you are," Klaus said as he returned from fetching some drinks.

Accepting the champagne, she clinked her glass to his before taking a sip.

"Do you like it?" Klaus asked, referring to his painting.

Sirena smiled. "I do. Care to share what your intentions were?"

"Let's just say it's a mystery," he grinned.

Nodding in the direction of the door, she asked, "Who's that with Tyler?"

Looking back over his shoulder, his smile fell. "Oh, that's just Hayley. A werewolf that seems to have replaced Caroline. She's quite the pain in the ass actually."

"Wow. Seems like yesterday we were off searching for werewolves and coming up empty handed over and over. Now they seem to be everywhere."

Klaus checked his phone. It was a text from Elijah. ' _Declan has to know something. Ask Charity. Use the Gilbert boy._ ' It was a good thing Elijah wasn't currently daggered and confined to his box, because that was a brilliant idea. His improved mood reflected on his face as he held a hand out to Sirena, which she eyed suspiciously. "Care to dance?"

Sliding her hand into his, she let him lead her to the dance floor. Swinging her out, Klaus pulled her in close as they began swaying to the music. "Why did you bring me here, Klaus? I thought I was confined to my new room," she spat.

"One, I can keep an eye on you here. Clearly last night proved that you can't be left alone even with my hybrids on guard. Two, I enjoy your company even with your humanity off."

"And the painting? I know there's more depth to it than just a snowflake. And don't just say it's a mystery." She raised an eyebrow at him.

Eyes connecting with hers, Klaus said in a hushed tone, "It was inspired by you, love. I know the Sirena that saw me as more than a monster is still in there. My goal is clear. It's my mission to reach past that darkness and free you from it."

Sirena swallowed hard. "I figured you'd like me better like this."

"Back when I first met you I would've said the same thing, but I guess we were both wrong. I'm actually quite fond of your innocence and sensitivity. But most of all I loved your strength of heart and ability to see into a person, to see the good in them even if they didn't think it existed."

Sirena cleared her throat, looking anywhere but into his eyes. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you but that girl is gone and she isn't coming back."

Klaus frowned. "We'll see. We're immortal. Forever is ours and I'm not one to back down."

* * *

Throwing back yet another glass of champagne, Sirena was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. It was the only thing keeping her from devouring one of the party goers at the moment.

"You may want to slow down unless I'm to carry you home," Klaus warned.

"Would you rather I drink something a bit warmer?" Sirena offered, shooting him a teasing smile.

"Just take it easy." Helping her over to take a seat on a bench sitting under the strands of white lights, he sat at her side. "You never did say which hybrid attacked you," he pointed out.

Sirena merely shook her head. "That's because I don't know who it was. It was dark and I don't exactly have all your little followers memorized. I don't care enough about them to know them by name. Just let it go. The bite is gone. Vanished. Poof."

"I'm just trying to figure out how that is even possible."

"Well maybe it has something to do with the _prophecy_ deal Declan told me about." As the words left her mouth in her drunken stupor, she knew she had said way too much. Klaus' face hardened, his eyes hooded.

"What prophecy?" he demanded.

"I don't know the details," she lied. "Why don't you just go ask him?! Or Kol for that matter? He was there, too."

Klaus growled and rose to his feet. So Elijah had been right…

"Uh, sorry for interrupting whatever this is," Hayley said from where she stood a few feet in front of Klaus. "But I need to talk to you."

"Can't it wait?!" His eyes flared with anger.

"No, unfortunately it can't."

Turning to Sirena, he said, "Stay right here."

Sirena watched as he disappeared into the crowd with Hayley. He should've known that she wouldn't stay put. That's was all on him. Curious about what was so urgent Sirena left her spot on the bench to get a better location to eavesdrop on them.

"Now I told you all about it. Just please leave him out of it," Hayley pleaded with Klaus. "I already betrayed him. I don't want to see him dead, too."

Klaus watched after Hayley as she stormed off, no doubt in search of Tyler. She had been right… the news was of utmost urgency. As Stefan waltzed up, Klaus told him, "She doesn't like me much. Where have you been all day?"

"I've been around," Stefan replied, dancing around the truth.

"I'm not interested in vagaries, Stefan," he growled. His patience was nearly nonexistent at the moment. "You've been dodgy so do you have something to share with me, or should I compel it out of you?"

Shifting in place, Stefan said, "I broke into your place to look for the sword."

"Why?"

"Because I don't trust you," Stefan stated bluntly.

Klaus straightened up. He had been nothing but straight with Stefan. If there was anyone to not be trusted it was Stefan. Klaus had hoped one day they would be able to reconcile their differences and become true friends, but it was proving to be rather difficult. "I showed you the sword. I explained its value. I've been on your side the entire time. What do you want from me — a secret brotherhood handshake?"

Stefan's expression softened, knowing he was right. "I found the letters," he announced. "You have a few pen pals over the centuries?"

Klaus grinned. "Well, is keeping my victim's letter really so different from writing their names on a wall, like you did, Ripper?" Stefan hung his head a second and Klaus chuckled, but his smile soon faded when he looked past Stefan to see that Sirena was no longer where he had left her. Remembering what Hayley had just told him, Klaus moved past Stefan to leave. Turning back around to face him once more, his voice was full of sadness as he said, "Loneliness, Stefan. That's why you and I memorialize our dead. There's the briefest moment before we kill where we literally hold their life in our hands, and then we rip it away and we're left with nothing. So gathering other people's letters or writing their names on a wall — It's a reminder… that in the end we're left infinitely and utterly alone."

Stefan saw the tears glistening in Klaus' eyes as they threatened to spill over.

"Sirena made that feeling nothing more than a memory and now she, too, is gone."

Stefan shook his head. "You and I both know that she is only gone for now. She can be brought back."

"Well, Stefan, gone for now feels a lot like gone for good right now. So if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to."

Leaving the party in a hurry, Klaus dashed off to the location Hayley had directed him to — the woods near the Lockwood Cellar. There he found twelve of his hybrids gathered together and waiting for a witch that would never come. Whooshing up behind the hybrid, Adrian, Klaus thrust his hand deep into his back.

"Kim," Adrian gasped out before falling to the ground dead.

All the hybrids spun around to see Klaus standing there with Adrian's heart in one hand and the hunter's sword in the other. Rage was evident on his face and there wasn't a one of them that wasn't filled with a sense of doom.

Squeezing the heart to a pulp, Klaus began his assault. Slicing his sword up Kim's back, he moved from hybrid to hybrid ending their life and taking out all his anger and frustration. One of them leapt through the air at him, but was decapitated as Klaus sliced the sword through the air. Another approached him from behind and he kicked them to their knees and cutting off his head. Blood sprayed in every direction as Klaus narrowed his eyes on one more hybrid standing before him. Hurling the sword at her, it pinned her to a tree. Screaming out, Klaus pulled her heart from her chest and yanked the sword free. Listening closely, he heard sobs and the sounds of snapping twigs down in the Lockwood Cellar. Making his way to the door, Klaus stalked after Kim as she tried desperately to find a way out. Failing, Kim pressed her back against the steel bars, staring back at Klaus as he closed the gap between them. His face and white dress shirt were splattered with blood, his face sullen as the sword hung idly at his side.

"Where is Tyler Lockwood?"

Kim cried, but didn't answer.

Pointing the sword at her face, he said, "You'd do well to answer me." She remained silent. Losing his temper, he brought the sword to her throat, almost piercing the skin as he got up into her face yelling, "Where is he?!"

"Wrong answer."

Her eyes went wide in pain as he slowly pushed the sword into her throat, making her suffer before pushing it all the way through. Kim's head fell to the floor along with her body with a thud at Klaus' feet.

Slowly turning back toward the door, Klaus went out on a mission of revenge. Heading back to the Grill he found that the party was over, but still he was met with a stroke of good fortune. Tyler's mom, Carol, sat alone on the fountain, clearly boozed out of her mind.

"Tyler, honey, you're supposed to be my sober cab. I think I drank half the party," Carol left her son a voicemail. Wiping her hair back from her face, she jumped as Klaus' voice met her ears.

"Good evening, Carol," he greeted.

Her eyes were filled with fear as she took in his menacing appearance, only now the sword had been replaced by a bottle of wine.

"If you're looking for Tyler, I'd like a little word with him myself."

"Klaus, please," she begged. "Don't hurt him. He's my son. He's all I have."

"And you're all he has. There's a beautiful symmetry to that, don't you think?"

Carol screamed out in surprise as Klaus grabbed a hold of her neck, spinning her around and submerging her in the fountain water. She thrashed about, unable to fight him off to get back to the surface. However, it wasn't long before those thrashes subsided as her lungs filled with water. Releasing her, Klaus smirked down at his handiwork as the mayor remained in the water. Tyler had led to his hybrids being killed and now his mother would join them.

* * *

"I can't find April. I can't reach Tyler. This is a disaster," Caroline panicked as she joined Stefan in the library, plopping down into the couch across from him. Taking in his calm demeanor, she asked, "Is this you in crisis mode? Because it's a lot more stealth than mine."

Stefan cocked his head. "I thought I'd be happier watching Klaus get led away to the slaughter, but for some reason I can't help but feel kind of … guilty."

"Yeah, you and me both." Caroline shook her head. "All day I've been trying to remind myself of all the horrible things he's done."

Stefan leaned forward onto his knees. "See, that's the thing. We've all done horrible things. And I'm sitting here trying to figure out what makes us any better than him." Stefan got to his feet, moving around to the back of the couch. "I'm starting to think Sirena had been right. And I think it's just that we have family we can trust."

"All Klaus has is his hybrids."

"No, Caroline. He has Sirena. That's the thing. I think that's all he wanted all along, why he's been so horrible all these years. He just wanted someone to share this eternity on earth with, someone who actually cared for him in return. His hybrids don't give a damn about him and are just tied to him through a false loyalty."

"So, what…you think we made a mistake?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. I think he may be key in getting Sirena back to herself. Think about it, Elena got me through my ripper phase, Charity helped Declan…"

"And now Klaus will help Sirena," Caroline finished for him.

* * *

The past couple of days had been full of surprises and not all of them particularly good. His hybrids had been meant to fill the void his family had left in his life and now he had been forced to kill twelve with his own hands. Jerking his suit jacket from his body, he threw it into a chair in the corner.

"You know, you're sexy when you're covered in blood." Sirena called from where she leaned against his bedroom door frame.

Klaus was shocked to see that she had actually come back to his place. He had half expected her to be long gone by now, not wanting to be locked up again.

Crossing the room, Sirena stopped in front of him. Reaching up, she wiped her thumb across his cheek before sucking the blood into her mouth. "Delicious."

Losing all inhibitions, Klaus pulled her hard against him, his mouth crashing against hers. He didn't want to waste any more time with her. Getting her humanity back was still a priority, but he would rather have her without it than not at all. He felt her smile against his lips as she pulled at his shirt, sending buttons flying to the floor.

His fingers grazed the skin of her thighs as they reached for the hem of her dress, pulling it swiftly up over her head and tossing it to the floor. Shoving him forcefully back onto his bed, she pulled his suit pants down his legs, letting them fall at the end of the bed. Klaus had all attention on her as she started onto the bed, crawling over him and kissing her way up his abdomen to his chest. She nipped at him, making him groan. As she straddled him, he tried to raise up to kiss her but she pushed him back down. Leaning down, her lips grazed his and her hair hung like a curtain around her face. In one swift motion, she found herself underneath him, her hands pinned above her head.

"You should know, love. I like to be in control," he smirked before kissing her hard, his tongue exploring her mouth. A moan erupted from deep within her, urging him on.

One hand reached down and ripped her panties free so he could throw them aside. Lifting her legs up around his hips, he thrust into her. He had been waiting so long to have her for himself. Meeting his rhythms, her eyes connected with his, holding them there as they got lost in the ecstasy of their passion. Holding her close, he bit down into her neck, drinking from her. Feeling him pulling her head closer to urge her to do the same, she followed suit. It was not like anything she had ever felt before. It was a high she never wanted to come down from. Raising up to look her in the eye as her blood ran down his chin, Klaus' pace quickened as they both neared their climax.

She clung tighter to him as he pushed her legs higher as he pounded harder into her. They both let out moans of pleasure before he collapsed on top of her. Rolling over onto his back, Klaus caught his breath. It wasn't long before Sirena was asleep, laying on her side next to him. His head fell to the side and he laid there staring at her, wondering what it was that he was really feeling for this girl. It was something entirely new to him. Slinging an arm around her, he held her close with his forehead resting on hers. Whatever it was that he was feeling, he imagined that this was what love felt like…

* * *

 **Reviews?**  
 **Do you think Klaus made a mistake in taking things further with Sirena while her humanity is off? Or do you think he is afraid of losing her?**


	6. Extraction

**EXTRACTION**

A cool breeze swept over the still surface of the lake at the Gilbert family lake house. Damon stood alone at the edge of the dock, listening intently to a voicemail Elena had left him after he invoked the sire bond to send her away. Her words of longing embedded themselves in his brain as he listened to the voicemail over and over. Just hearing her voice took the edge off of the pain from having to make her leave his side. He knew that he loved her, but how could he know that her love for him was real when she had been sired to him the entire time?

Cutting the voicemail off before it could finish playing out, Damon turned to join Matt and Jeremy in the yard when they sparred in hopes of making Jeremy a big bad vampire hunter. Leaning back against the wooden picnic table, he waited while the two finished.

"You see that?" Jeremy beamed after flipping Matt to his back on the ground.

"Couldn't miss it. It was in slow motion," Damon said dryly, not bothering to look in Jeremy's direction.

"Then teach me something useful. We've been here for days and so far all you've done is bark orders."

Damon peered over at him, eyebrows raised. "Ok." Flipping a stake up into his hand, Damon started towards the young hunter. To Matt, who stood rubbing his sore arm, he said, "Take a seat on the bench, quarterback. Karate kid wants a shot at the title."

Matt shook his head with a laugh. "Jeremy, you're not ready for this."

Ignoring him, Jeremy caught the stake that Damon tossed over to him.

"Well?" Damon asked, waiting for Jeremy to attack. Jeremy rushed him, but Damon ducked under his arm, catching him in a chokehold. "Now, all I have to do is apply a little pressure under your jaw."

As Jeremy struggled against Damon's squeezing hand, a pizza delivery truck for Lakeside Pizza pulled up.

"Really? Again?" Damon asked, not entirely surprised by the appetite of the two high schoolers. Jeremy tapped on Damon's hand repeatedly in request for release, which Damon granted.

Jeremy dashed over to Matt's side as the same blonde that had been delivering their pizza approached holding a large pizza box. "Double pepperoni three days in a row, do you guys eat anything else?" she asked.

"Why?" Damon questioned from behind her. "Are you offering?" She stared nervously up at him as he held out a wad of one hundred dollar bills to her. "It's a little something extra if you cut of the pizza pipeline for a couple days. No matter how much they beg, don't come back."

The girl chuckled, accepting the cash. Flashing an apologetic smile back to Jeremy and Matt as she returned to her truck, she said, "Sorry, guys."

"What, you're gonna starve us now?" Jeremy questioned Damon incredulously.

"If that's what it takes to make you a hunter. Now run around the lake, twice," Damon smirked and with an annoyed shake of his head, Jeremy took off to obey his orders. Damon looked to Matt. "Keep him company."

Matt shook his head, just wanting a slice of pizza. "I don't have to listen to you."

"You do if you want to eat," Damon fired.

Matt threw the training pads to the ground and hustled after Jeremy. With the two guys gone, Damon brought his phone back up to his ear, listening to Elena's voicemail once more. Returning his phone to his pocket, Damon thought about another young vampire that had made her way into his heart. Even though his love for Sirena had transitioned to something that he would feel for a sister, he cared very deeply for her. He hadn't seen her since the day at the Founders Party when Jeremy had attacked her. It wasn't a mystery that she had been staying at Klaus' since her return, but he felt like he should be doing something to help her get back to herself. On the night of the sacrifice, Declan had given him a tiny glimpse into the prophecy regarding Sirena and Klaus. From what he understood, she needed to be protected and letting her run around with her humanity switch flipped was not going to help matters. Damon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilty. He had told her that he would protect her the same as Elena — that her life mattered. Yet, here he was working with Jeremy to get him tom complete his hunter's mark so that they could find the cure to get Elena human again.

Finishing up their last lap, Jeremy stood with his hands on his hips while Matt caught his breath next to him. "Now what?" Jeremy asked and Damon gestured to the picnic table.

"Show me how fast you can load up your gun? Come on. Let's go, boy scout."

Doing as he was told, Jeremy took a seat at the table to place the wooden bullets into the clip of the gun. Loading the last one, he held the gun up to Damon, who look less than impressed. Pulling the clip back out, he pushed all of the bullets right back out onto the table while Jeremy watched in shock. "Now do it like your life depends on it 'cause it does." Damon stalked away from the picnic table, but Jeremy was up on his feet calling after him.

"Don't act like you care about my life. You care about the hunter's mark and curing Elena so she's not sired to your ass."

Damon turned to him. "Both require you to be alive, which is why I've updated our relationship status to 'it's complicated'." Leaning forward onto the picnic table, Damon looked up to Jeremy. "You talk to her at all? Elena?"

"Maybe. Why? Running out of voicemails to listen to?" Jeremy cracked a smile.

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt play time?" Klaus called as he and Declan strode across the yard toward them.

Jeremy rounded on him. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Declan and I were back at the Grill having a little chat and decided to come pay a visit. We're enjoying the sights and smells of nature, neither of which presently include rotting vampire flesh, so I'm a bit concerned. How many vampires has he killed?" Klaus asked Damon.

Straightening up to face Klaus, Damon replied, "If we throw Jeremy out into the world right now, he's chum."

"Yeah, see. That's not a number. Twelve — That's a number. That's how many of my hybrids I slaughtered with my sword. Three — That's how many days it took to quell the urge to kill your brother after he knowingly watched as I walked into a death trap. One — That's the number of purposes you serve because you sure as hell aren't helping with Sirena's humanity. You are here to grow Jeremy's mark, so I'll ask again… How many vampires has he killed since he's been here?"

"Zero," Damon hissed.

"Hmm. That's a pity." Klaus turned from the other two men, waltzing past Declan, who remained silent with his hands buried in his pockets. "I'm going to need that cure sooner rather than later, hybrid shortage and all. How can I help?"

"You know what…" Damon replaced the clip in the handgun. "Jeremy, watch and learn." Firing two shots into Klaus' chest, Damon glared daggers at him, saying, "That's for Carol Lockwood."

Klaus leaned against the tree, steadying himself as he growled over at Damon.

"Now," Damon approached him. "Want to tell me why you're really here?"

"I told you, I'm here to help Jeremy grow his mark," Klaus spat as he pried the bullets from his chest.

"No, you see, Stefan told me that you basically shot him down when he told you we were trying to figure out how to keep Jeremy from killing us. Now all of a sudden you want to join the team?"

Klaus clenched his jaw. Snapping off the branch he was holding onto, Klaus jammed it into Declan's back, making him arch back as he yelled out in pain. He broke it off to keep him from pulling it free, incapacitating him. Flashing in front of Declan while the other's looked on in shock, Klaus landed a right hook square on Declan's jaw, knocking him to his knees. With a smirk, Klaus met Damon's wide-eyed gaze. "You're right, Damon. I do have another reason for visiting Jeremy."

Jeremy swallowed hard as Klaus closed in on him, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck and bringing him closer to Declan. Damon knew Klaus wouldn't harm Jeremy due to his hunter's mark, but still he stayed close.

"I know you can still speak to the dead and therefore your services are required," Klaus informed him. Looking down as Declan panted, still kneeling on the ground. "I need you to speak with his love, Charity."

"I can't just make her appear. She has to want to be able to be seen," Jeremy spoke boldly.

"I know," Klaus grinned. In an instant, he was back behind Declan and thrusting his hand into his back to grab onto his heart. Declan gasped out, his breath coming with great difficulty as his life was literally in Klaus' hand.

"Please, tell him to stop!" A female voice pleaded and Jeremy's head snapped toward where a medieval blonde stood at his side.

Damon and Klaus watched as Jeremy looked at what seemed to be nothing but open air and both knew Klaus' plan to get her there had worked.

"Charity?" Jeremy asked.

"Please, tell him I'm here. What does he want?!"

"I want to know what Declan knows about Sirena Sterling, Charity," Klaus spoke to her despite not being able to see her.

"She said she doesn't know," Jeremy mediated. "She just wants you to let him go."

"You expect me to believe that?" Klaus scoffed. "Declan is the love of your life and you're trying to tell me you didn't watch over him? That you weren't watching when he learned about the prophecy?!"

Jeremy shook his head meaning Charity had remained silent.

Klaus squeezed on Declan's heart and the Irish vampire yelled out, sweat appearing on his forehead from the intense pain he was enduring. "One more twist, Charity. One more and he's—"

"Stop!" Jeremy yelled. "She said she'll tell you."

"No!" Declan choked out, straining to speak. "Charity, don't."

"She said there's a reason Sirena isn't affected by werewolf venom, a reason that Declan turned her in the first place."

"Charity, stop!" Declan shouted.

Jeremy looked over towards Charity before looking back to Klaus. "She said Sirena's blood is the key to your hybrids."

Klaus froze. "Care to clarify?"

"She says that Sirena's human blood unlocks the door to being able to turn hybrids without needing Elena's blood."

Klaus pulled his hand free from Declan's back. Declan fell back against the grass, breathing deep as his wound in his back healed. Damon rushed over to him, removing the tree branch. Blood dripped from Klaus' fingers as he stared wide-eyed into space. "I drink from a human Sirena and I can turn as many hybrids as I want. No more relying on Elena," Klaus worked through it in his head.

"There's one more thing," Jeremy said.

Klaus' eyes met his, waiting to here what Charity had left to say.

"She said that you have to drink it all. Every last drop."

* * *

Night had fallen and Damon sat whittling new wooden bullets furiously while deep in thought. They had all been shocked by Charity's information regarding the prophecy. As usual, one answer brought about fifty more questions. Footsteps sounded from behind him as he was joined by the fire.

"So you got what you were looking for," Damon stated as Klaus took a seat next to him on the fallen tree trunk. "Satisfied?"

Klaus was quiet. He was in fact satisfied that he got answers; However, he wasn't satisfied with what those answers were. Now that they searched for the cure that could make Sirena human again, he had to decide which was more important to him — having an infinite supply of hybrids or having Sirena in his life. To be honest, he had been avoiding any contact with her since the night they shared together. He had enjoyed it so much that he didn't trust himself around her. Of course, he wanted it to happen again, but he hadn't wanted their first night together to be while she had her humanity switched off. He had acted on impulse, which has always been his greatest weakness. Combine that with his desire for Sirena, being upset with having to kill his hybrids and well, things happen…

Damon eyed him curiously. "So what're you going to do? I'm assuming this makes the cure all the more valuable to you."

"You know, if you adjust your angle a bit you'll find a sharper edge,"Klaus critiqued Damon's whittling technique, avoiding the question.

Damon slowly turned his head towards him, eyeing him out of annoyance. "I know how to whittle. Thanks." Returning to his work on the stick, Damon added, "Now I know why those hybrids hated you. You are annoying."

"Actually I'm just perplexed as to why Jeremy hasn't killed any vampires."

"Darwinism, Klaus. He needs to be able to protect himself before we hunt down his first vampire nest."

"And here was I, thinking you were the fun brother. Well, let's play a little game, shall we? Jeremy needs more victims and there's a whole town of people down the road just waiting to be turned into vampires for the slaughter."

"You don't think that occurred to me, Klaus?"

"That tragedy is, Damon, it did occur to you yet you chose to ignore it. And my guess is you did it to protect Elena. Somehow to honor her, you'll find a way to spare innocent lives and walk Jeremy down the moral high road." Damon nodded and Klaus grinned proudly at him, "That's why I've already made the necessary corrections."

Damon put a halt in his work to look up at Klaus, concerned about what those corrections may be. "What did you do?"

"Let's just say I decided to move things along a bit."

Damon jumped to his feet and as he dashed toward the lake house, Klaus called after him, "Better hurry. She looked like a hungry one."

"That was a low blow, Klaus. Calling on Charity," Declan stated as he emerged from the shadows. His gaze was dark as he stared down the Original.

"If you had been forthcoming with information then it wouldn't have had to happen this way, now would it?"

Declan circled the campfire, standing opposite of Klaus. "If you even try to use the cure on her, I will do everything in my power to end you once and for all," Declan threatened.

Klaus scowled, rising to his feet. "You really think I would?"

"I think your hybrids mean more to you than anything else ever could. I've known you for a very, very long time, Niklaus. You've never put anyone before yourself, never been one to sacrifice for someone else. Why would you start now?" Declan shot him one last look before tucking his hands into his pockets and disappearing into the shadows of the forest, casting doubt in Klaus' mind.

* * *

Having decided to take matters into his own hands, Klaus now sat in a small bar outside of the town down the road a ways. Music played from the jukebox in the far corner, but there were no sounds of conversation, no laughter, no glasses being slammed down empty onto the tables… no, everyone was dead. Damon may be worried about what Elena would think about killing a bunch of people for a vampire slaughter, but he sure as hell didn't and it's not like he had to worry about Sirena caring right now either. In fact, if he wasn't trying to avoid her right now she probably would've been more than willing to help. As he sat waiting for the other three to arrive, Klaus had taken up a seat at the bar, helping himself to the numerous bottles of alcohol decorating the counter.

Clicking through his phone to his text messages, he found his conversation with one of the hybrids currently watching over Sirena.

' _How are things back at home?_ ' he shot off a message to him.

Almost instantly he got a response. ' _Quiet here. She hasn't tried to get out._ '

' _Good work. I'll be home shortly._ ' Klaus replaced his phone in his jacket just as the door to the bar creaked open.

"I was beginning to worry you boys wouldn't find the place," Klaus called as Damon, Jeremy and Matt entered the bar, eyes darting from on body to the next.

"What the hell?" Jeremy breathed out.

"Did you kill all these people?" Matt burst accusingly.

Klaus turned his head, smiling devilishly at him. "Not exactly. They're in transition." Klaus left his seat at the bar to stand in front of Jeremy. "Killing them is your job."

Jeremy's eyes flashed over to Damon in disbelief. "You said you were going to convince Klaus to do this another way."

Klaus grinned over at Damon who said, "Well, I thought about it. And then I realized his idea was better."

It tickled Klaus a bit to hear Damon admit Klaus was better in any way, With a smug grin, he raised his glass in a solo cheers before throwing back the rest of his whiskey. All around them bodies began to stir as the vampires began to awaken. A blonde they hadn't noticed before began moving around the room to each one as they woke, feeding them her blood to complete the transition.

"Who the hell is that?" Matt asked.

"Oh, her? She's just the bartender who was kind enough to stay and make sure they all got their first drink," Klaus smirked. "They'll complete their transition into vampires and then it falls to you, Jeremy."

"No way. I'm not doing this," he fought.

"What makes you think you have a choice?"

In attempt to reason with Jeremy, Damon said, "You have to kill vampires to complete the hunter's mark. Mark equals cure. You're in a bar full of almost vampires, so get your hunt on."

"Screw you!" Jeremy glared at Damon. "You said I wouldn't have to kill any innocent people."

"Jeremy, they're not people."

"Enough!" Klaus yelled. "Have at it, or else."

"I don't take orders from you, dick." Jeremy threw his newly whittled stake to the floor. "Hunters can't be compelled."

Klaus gar a humored laugh, closing the distance between him and Jeremy. "You're right. I can't compel you, but if your conscience is getting in the way, then allow me to make this easy for you, because I _can_ compel them." Klaus stepped back closer to the vampires and it became clear that he meant business. "I'm gonna give you a two minute head start then I'm gonna send every vampire in here after you. You kill them, or they kill your friend," Klaus turned towards the human at Jeremy's side. "Matt."

Shifting in place, Matt looked to Damon and said, "Whoa. Wait a second."

"No, no." Damon began to argue. "You turn them, he kills them. That was the deal, Klaus."

"I'm taking artistic license."

"You know he can't take them all on at the same time."

"With you as his coach, he'll be fine," Klaus stated reassuringly. "It's Matt I'm worried about."

Knowing there was no arguing with Klaus, Damon let out a sigh of submission. "Jeremy, go get the weapons out of the car. I'll be right behind you." Looking over his other shoulder to Matt, he said, "Both of you."

"If I hear an engine start, I'll kill Matt myself," Klaus yelled after them as they rushed outside.

Damon shook his head at Klaus. He had known the plan. Why did he have to make things so difficult? "What the hell, Klaus? Couldn't you just threaten him some other way without having to send him out like this? I know you want the cure for Sirena, but—"

"My reasons for wanting the cure are my own, Damon. It's your fault we had to go about it this way. Besides, I would think you would be happy to know that Sirena would get rid of the need for Elena. Your little girlfriend would be free to live her life without having to be used by me for my hybrids."

"But then Sirena would be dead," Damon argued. "I don't want that."

"Just get Jeremy to complete his mark. You better hurry. You're two minutes are up," Klaus gave an evil grin, tapping on his watch.

* * *

' _He knows._ '

The two little words shone up at Sirena from her phone screen, but she just tossed it aside, not bothering to respond back to Declan. Instead she went back to drying her hair. Of course Klaus would be wanting to use the cure on her. She didn't doubt it for a second, but she was going to do everything in her power to keep him from getting his hands on it. Throwing on a hot pink double spaghetti strap dress with a sweetheart neckline. Out of habit she clasped her feather necklace around her neck as walked back out into the bedroom. Her head jerked toward the door where Kol stood with a prideful smile plastered on his face.

"Ready for a jailbreak?"

"How did you get past the hybrids?" she questioned, peering past him into the hallway.

"A little compulsion goes a long way," he smirked. Sirena's eyes were glued to him as he wandered around the room before stopping directly in front of her. "Well, don't you look delicious today. That may come in handy if Nik decides to show up."

Rolling her eyes at him, she asked, "What're you doing here, Kol?" Eyeing him as she pulled her leather jacket on.

"My dear brother wants to get this cure, but what he doesn't understand is that I cannot allow that to happen."

"And why's that?"

"Because the cure is buried with a man named Silas, the world's first immortal being. If awakened, he will bring with him hell on Earth. I happen to like the world as it is. Don't you?"

"So what do you need me for?"

"Nik has provided the Gilbert boy with enough vampires to complete his mark. It's a solid plan, however, I want to throw a wrench into it. And seeing as how he now knows about you and the role you play in his curse, I'd think you would want to prevent him from finding the cure as well."

"How did you know he knew about me?"

"Oh, I ran into Declan. He doesn't want you used as a way to unlock Klaus' curse either so let's just say he is on our team." He smiled mischievously. "So, what do you say? Ready for some fun?"

* * *

 **Reviews, please! :)**

 **How do you all think Klaus is going to handle this new information about the prophecy?**


	7. Anger Management

**ANGER MANAGEMENT**

The door to the bar was ajar and the air was still, silent. A feeling of unease washed over Damon and Jeremy as they stepped inside, ready to take on a nest of baby vamps, but there were none to be found. With his crossbow at the ready, Jeremy followed Damon throughout the bar. A trail of blood was smeared leading back towards the storage a nod to Jeremy, they began following it.

"Come to join the party?"

Jeremy spun toward the voice, pointing his crossbow over at Sirena, who leaned back in a chair in the corner waiting for their arrival. Her long slim legs were crossed as she propped her boots up on the table while she examined her nails.

"Sirena—" Damon started, but she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but you're a tad late." The smile on her face was far from apologetic. Not liking where this was leading, Damon and Jeremy dashed off to see where the trail led. There in the bar's walk-in refrigerator was a pile of dead vampires. Damon took a deep breath. Now what?

"Looks like we're going to have to find some more vampires. What a waste," Damon stared disappointedly at the mass of corpses at his feet.

"What the hell happened?" Jeremy asked.

Turning back toward him, Damon looked past him to where Sirena leaned against the opening, smiling coyly over to him. "What did you do, Sirena?"

"Oh, Damon, please. You really think I did this alone? I'm flattered," she smirked, moving aside to let Kol enter the fridge.

"I confess. I was her partner in crime. It was my idea after all," Kol smiled mockingly with his hands held in the air in a staged surrender.

"Kol." Memories of Denver flashed in Jeremy's mind.

"Jeremy, good to see you, mate. Sorry about the mess. It was a little crowded when we arrived and I prefer more intimate gatherings. We need to have a little chat," he said, bringing a bottle of bourbon to his lips. "Care for a drink?"

Damon placed a hand on Jeremy's arm, getting him to lower his crossbow. "He's underage and I don't like you so let's just cut to it."

"Declan informed me of my brother's plan to complete Jeremy's hunter's mark. It was easy enough for us to track this lot down." Kol laughed, glancing back at Sirena. "They were all hiding in the shadows. Now, killing young vampires is easy or old ones for that matter," Kol's voice went low in a hinted threat at Damon.

"Why? What's it to you either way?"

"Because you fools, in your zeal to find the cure you risk waking someone very dangerous."

Damon shared a look with Jeremy. "Oh. You must be talking about Silas."

"What do you know of him?"

"Nothing," Damon replied. "Don't want to. Not our problem."

"Isn't it?" Kol tilted his head. "A few hundred years back, I came across a group that worshipped Silas. His followers told me that he would rise again, and when he did he would trigger the end of all time. And you know, being immortal you can see why I'm opposed to time's ending. I murdered all of them and now here you are willing to risk raising him in your search for the cure. I can't exactly sit back and let that happen, can I?"

"We're not going to back out of the search for the cure just because you've heard one too many bedtime stories, you idiot."

"Jeremy," Kol pointed to the young Gilbert. "We were mates back in Colorado. You're a smart lad. Why don't you call off this imbecilic treasure hunt?"

"I'm not calling anything off,…mate," Jeremy fired.

Stepping backwards, Kol wrapped an arm around Sirena's shoulders. "Well at least I have Sirena here who is on my side. After all, if my brother gets that cure, he could use it on her to drink her dry."

Damon's eyes pleaded with Sirena, who merely shook her head. "I can't let him get it, Damon. I won't be used to break some silly curse."

Kol gave a triumphant grin. "I could kill Jeremy, but then I'd have to deal with the hunter's curse, and I — I don't particularly feel like being haunted for the next century. Snapping his fingers, he said, "Ah, I've got a better idea — I'll just rip your arms off."

Kol went to flash her to Jeremy, but Damon crashed into him, pinning him back against the fridge door.

"Jeremy, run!" Damon struggled against Kol, punching him over and over to keep him from Jeremy, but before Jeremy could run past Sirena was there in front of him.

Knocking him back against the shelf, Sirena bit down hard into his neck with a growl. A sharp pain shot through her body, making her fall backwards. Looking down, she saw an arrow protruding from where it was lodged in her stomach. Grabbing onto her head, Jeremy gave a twist, breaking her neck and running from the building.

* * *

"To what do I owe the displeasure, Miss Gilbert?" Klaus asked. He was filled with annoyance upon finding her knocking at his door. Now was not the time for her to be here. After coming home he had found that his hybrids were nowhere to be seen and that Sirena's room was empty. Inviting Elena to sit with him in the lounge, he waited impatiently for the reason why she had come to him. "Well, spit it out. I don't have all day. Sirena is gone. I have no idea where she went off to. Probably off feeding on some poor innocent bloke, so please…why is it that you came here?"

"I know where Sirena is, she stated first. Probably a smart move on her part seeing as how Klaus had his full attention on her. "She and Kol killed all of the vampires you made last night. They attacked my brother and Damon back at the bar."

Klaus seethed. "Kol… ever the problem for me. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Get him to back down before he ends up killing one of them.

"A bit ironic you coming to me for help. Weren't your friends just trying to bury me in a cement tomb?"

"This is your fault," Elena shook her head as she pointed the blame. "You started this when you forced Jeremy to kill those vampires."

"And now my little brat of a brother has gone and made things worse. Well, he never did like Damon. Not that I can say that I blame him. I can't say I like him myself after the way he treated Sirena." He narrowed his eyes on her, making her shift uncomfortably. "I suppose I should do something, shouldn't I?"

"Call him off, Klaus," Elena demanded.

"You are in no position to make demands, love. Whilst I'd like the cure so that I can make more hybrids, I do have other reasons for finding the cure."

"Whatever our differences, we want the same thing. Please," she sat forward onto the edge of her seat. "Klaus, I'm begging you."

Those were some magic words… Elena would do anything to save his brother. If he did this, she would owe him one and he may be collecting on that favor sooner rather than later. She may actually come in handy. Dropping his head, he looked up at her with a smile.

"I do this… I do this and you have to help me with something. Understood?"

Elena nodded violently. "Yes, anything. Just save my brother."

Rolling his eyes, he pulled his phone from his jacket. Finding Kol in his contacts he tapped the call button. "Little brother. Just a week home and I'm told you've already gone and made a mess."

" _Come on, Nik. I was only having some fun._ "

"Those vampires were for my hunter."

" _I'll make some more. There's no shortage of people._ "

"Where is Damon Salvatore?"

" _I gave him a good and proper beating. You know, payback for Sirena. She seemed to enjoy herself._ " Klaus could practically hear the smirk in Kol's voice.

"Yes. Well, you've had your fun. Now let him go and bring Sirena home. Avoid any more trouble or you'll find yourself back in a box."

" _Hey. No need to be nasty about it._ "

"On the contrary, I find nastiness to be essential whenever my siblings try to sabotage me. Listen closely, Kol. Stay away from the Gilbert boy. Understand?"

" _Fine. I won't touch him. You have my word._ "

Kol ended the call. Crossing his hands behind his back, Kol grinned over at Damon. He had been nice and quiet just as Kol had compelled him to be. "Very good, dalring. Now stab yourself a bit further."

Damon groaned as he slowly began to push the piece of wood deeper into his chest. "If you're going to kill me, at least do it like a man." Damon's eyes fell to Sirena. "And you… I get that you've got your humanity off, but you seriously just going to let him kill me?"

Sirena wiped Damon's blood from her knuckles from where she had taking her anger out on him. Taking slow measured steps back toward him, she ran her index finger up the length of the piece of wood in his chest. Taking a seat in his lap she dropped her face down to his level. Her voice almost a whisper, she said, "No one's killing you, Damon. I just wanted you to know how it felt when I saw you kissing Elena. Of course, it doesn't feel _exactly_ the same. You don't get the feeling of not being enough or being someone's second choice—" Sirena stopped herself, letting out a small laugh. "Well, I guess you do, but yet here you are, in love with one of the two doppelgängers who made you feel those things." Pulling his head back by his hair, she added, "The least I can do is inflict some pain. I'll let Elena be the one to eventually rip your heart out." Sirena pushed on the wood, driving it even deeper.

"Alright, darling. That's enough," Kol told her. With one last look into Damon's icy blue eyes, Sirena lifted from his lap and moved back to her place leaning back against the wall. "I just wanted to make sure he could be compelled. You ought to be thanking me. You don't really want the cure found. You fancy Elena. I mean, even more now that she's a vampire. Admit it." Kol circled Damon. "The last vestige of her humanity is her annoying little brother Jeremy, and deep, deep down I bet you want him dead, don't you?" Kol asked in Damon's ear.

Coming to face to face with him, Damon responded, "Nope."

Kol patted Damon on the back, making the word grind against his insides. "You're lying. I bet you'd love to rip his head right off." Kol paused. "And I'm gonna give you your wish." Even though Damon shook his head wishing he could prevent it, Kol leaned back down to Damon saying, "You won't remember what I'm saying but you're going to find Jeremy Gilbert, and when you do, you're going to kill him."

Kol pulled the wood free from Damon's chest, letting it clatter to the floor. As if in a trance, Damon rose to his feet and left the walk-in. "Follow him," Kol told Sirena. "Make sure he is successful. I'm sure Elena won't be too willing to let her boyfriend kill her brother." Sirena started for the door as Kol called, "And Sirena… Have fun."

* * *

Keeping her distance, Sirena followed Damon to his first stop — Elena's House — and then to the Grill, where Jeremy was talking with Matt. Sticking to the shadows, she watched as Damon strode after Jeremy. Having sensed something wasn't right, Jeremy retreated to the back room of the Grill. Jumping in Damon's way, Elena asked if he was alright. The look on Elena's face as Damon ignored her, leaving her there to go after her brother, gave Sirena a tingle of amusement. Nevertheless, Elena went in after Damon.

Weaving through the tables, Sirena was surprised to see that the storage room was empty. There were no doors so where the hell did they go? As her eyes searched the area she caught sight of a opening in the wall to her left. She climbed inside and found that she was now in the system of tunnels that ran under the streets. Damon could be heard yelling in the distance, warning Jeremy and telling him to get out. But Damon wasn't her target.

Listening intently, Elena's voice hit Sirena's ears. Drawing closer, Sirena realized that Elena was on the phone talking to Stefan, hoping he would come help despite their relationship status.

"Ok," Elena said, giving up and returning her phone to her pants pocket. Catching a new scent, she spun just in time as Sirena lunged at her. Both girls fell to the ground with a thud. Sirena sat atop Elena, landing punch after punch onto Elena's face. While Sirena continued her assault, Elena's hands reached out as far as they could in search of something to use as a weapon. Elena gasped out as Sirena's hands flew to her throat, squeezing her hard as if she could choke the life from her.

"Why is it always about you, Elena?!" Sirena growled down at her. "Everything always comes back to you. If Klaus finds this cure, he is going to end up killing me just so he doesn't have to be tied to you and your doppelgänger blood. Your blood is the only reason I'm resisting the urge to rip your heart from your chest!"

Sirena screamed out, releasing her grip on Elena, who had just jammed a handle to a hammer into Sirena's side. Seizing her opportunity, Elena shoved Sirena back off of her before kicking her square in the chest. Sirena went flying back against the wall of the tunnel, falling to her knees. Elena disappeared in a flash.

Mentally cursing the fact that she had been impaled twice already today, Sirena straightened up. She let out a yelp of pain as she pulled it out and threw it to the floor. This dress was actually one of Sirena's favorites and now it had two holes in it. Scowling, Sirena dashed after Elena.

Finally finding her way to the surface, she heard Damon's docile tone as Elena pleaded with him to leave her brother be. "Because I love you, because you love me. You'd do anything for me. So please…"

For a moment Damon seemed to fight it, but the scent of Jeremy's blood made veins appear under his eyes. "I'm sorry, Elena." Damon dashed off in Jeremy's direction.

"Damon!" Elena called after him, but it was no use.

"Well, that was just pathetic." Sirena wrapped an arm around Elena's throat from behind. The two girls struggled against one another. Elena used all her weight to flip Sirena over her shoulder to the ground and jumped on top of her. Sirena kicked off the ground hard, sending Elena forward as Sirena flipped on top of her.

"You know what, screw keeping you around for your blood. This is something I should've done a long time ago."

Elena's eyes went wide as Sirena went to thrust her hand into her chest. But with one swift motion, Sirena's neck was snapped and she fell to the dirt, temporarily dead.

* * *

Stefan had stopped Damon from killing Jeremy for now. After bleeding him out, he locked him in the cellar at the boarding house until he could figure out a way to end Kol's compulsion. He had brought Sirena back with them as well much to Elena's dismay. He felt even more protective of her than before which was probably due to the fact he new what it was like to have your mind rewired, to have your self stripped away. If he could come back… so could she.

While on his way to check on Sirena, Stefan ran into Elena. "Going to see Damon?"

"I have to talk with him," she answered.

"Well, you can't. He'll just ask you to let him out."

"I won't let him out," Elena denied with a shake of her head.

"You won't have a choice. You're sired," Stefan said it almost as if it were a disease. Stefan waited for an argument but none came. "That all?"

"Stefan, what are you doing with Rebekah?" Elena burst out the question that had been burning away at her brain. "She tried to kill me."

"And this will be the second time that Damon has tried to kill Jeremy. So I guess nobody's perfect, right?"

Elena blinked in disbelief. "Are you trying to punish me? I don't know how many times I can apologize."

"I never asked you to. You can do whatever you want, Elena. I really don't care."

His words hit Elena hard. He couldn't mean that. Trying to figure out some reason why he would be saying these things, Elena said, "You're hurt. You're hurt and you're acting out, Stefan. This isn't you."

"Sure it is," Stefan nodded. "You've just never seen me like this. You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you. I'll let Damon know you stopped by."

Stopping herself from saying anything else, Elena left reluctantly. Footsteps sounded on the floor behind him. "It's about time you got free from the hold she had on you."

"She chose Damon. What other choice do I have?" Stefan turned to her.

"You're better off. There are other girls out there that would appreciate the love that you give."

"Well, someone reminded me today that it's easier when you don't care. Just go through life enjoying what feels good. Caring leads to disappointment."

"I couldn't agree more," Sirena nodded, crossing the room to him.

Stefan furrowed his brow. "I think out of all of us, you may be the luckiest one." Sirena remained silent and Stefan headed for the door. "You can show yourself out. I have somewhere _else_ I want to be."

Sirena considered going down to have a little chat with Damon, but her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a message from Klaus.

' _We need to talk._ '

* * *

 **Review? :D**


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